Saturday, June 20, 2009

Scarlett Johannson to Play the Bride of Frankenstein?

There's a doozy of a rumor buzzing around the web today, one which, I must admit, even turned the head of this grizzled movie gossip veteran. All of you (hopefully) read my rant earlier this week against the greenlit Universal remake of The Bride of Frankenstein. Well, now it seems that none other than the bodacious Scarlett Johannson might be in consideration to don Elsa Lanchester's skunk-striped wig.

That's right, the A-list starlet who recently proved she's more than just a (painfully) pretty face with some impressive performances in Woody Allen's Match Point and Vicky Christina Barcelona might be playing the Bride herself. It all started with a statement made by a Hollywood insder to the New York Post yesterday:

“The Bride of Frankenstein will be young this time. They’re looking for a person with great power and sex appeal. Someone along the lines of Scarlett Johansson or Anne Hathaway.”

And no, apparently whoever made the comment is not aware that Elsa Lanchester was a mere five years older than Johansson is now when she played the part. Nice to see the remake is in good hands...

Anyway, from there, the rumor mill shifted course, and apparently Ms. Hathaway (thankfully) was edged out in favor of Scarlett, with websites claiming that producers were zeroing in on her to be Dr. Frankenstein's second creation. Catching wind of the story, the L.A. Times contacted Johansson's publicist, who had this to say:

"She has not been approached for this project. If anything changes, I'll let you know."

Of course, that's not to say she won't be approached. In fact, despite the fact that she's never exactly been considered a horror chick, it's a safe bet she probably will. And although I still vehemently oppose this remake, if it has to be done, they could do a whole helluva lot worse than Scarlett Johansson, who actually does seem quite suited to the role (he said begrudgingly).

Done in the right spirit it could be interesting. In fact it probably will at least be interesting, even if it isn't good. I'll bet there are at least a hundred screenplays out there for them to choose from but I don't know if anyone has read the one they're using.

Which horror film *should* be remade?

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I've been fascinated with horror ever since my parents let me watch The Exorcist at 8 years old (what were they thinking??) and I ran up to my bed screaming when Linda Blair's eyes rolled into the back of her head.Although it often gets a bad rap from "mainstream" critics and audiences alike, horror has often been the most creative and vibrant movie genre of all, from Nosferatu to Saw. Some of the finest motion pictures ever made are part of the horror genre, including Frankenstein, Psycho, The Shining and my personal all-time favorite, George Romero's Dawn of the Dead.This blog is the culmination of my 25-year love affair with all things blood and guts--so check back here often for news and opinion on the world of horror. And remember...